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Winners of the Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards were announced Wednesday night

The winners are chosen by the target readers -- children and teens

Kate DiCamillo, national ambassador for Young People's Literature, hosted the ceremony

The kids have spoken.

Winners of the Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards were announced Wednesday night at the seventh Children's Book Week Gala in New York, part of the the 95th Children's Book Week. Rush Limbaugh won author of the year for "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans," while Grace Lee won illustrator of the year for "Sofia the First: The Floating Palace."

These are the only awards chosen by children and teens in support of their favorite books, according to the Children's Book Council. Each year, about 13,000 children across the United States read newly published children and young adult books within their classes through the International Reading Association, in partnership with the Children's Book Council.

Kids voted for their favorites online with the help of their parents and teachers, or educators submitted group ballots after polling their students. The teen finalists were chosen through a joint program with Teenreads.com, part of The Book Report Network. The top author and illustrator finalists were determined by the bestseller lists. Voters were also allowed to write in finalists that weren't listed. The Children's Book Council's vetting process ensures that voting is done by children and teens, or submitted from classroom ballot boxes, they said.

"The idea was born out of the understanding that when kids are given a voice and agency in their reading choices, they tend to be a lot more excited about reading," said Nicole Deming of the Children's Book Council. "It's so important to get those gateway titles to them that will lead them to a lifelong investment in the written word."

Founded by the Children's Book Council and in support of the nonprofit Every Child a Reader, the event was hosted by Kate DiCamillo, author of "Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – Actor LeVar Burton has devoted 30 years to promoting literacy and encouraging children to read with his TV show -- and now the app -- "Reading Rainbow." Here are some of his thoughts on the importance of reading:

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Photos: LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow'13 photos

LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – On "Reading Rainbow," Burton often took viewers on "field trips" based books. " 'Reading Rainbow' was a matter of introducing the idea that books can be a terrific way to entertain and inform yourself, and that picking up a book will introduce you to the myriad wonders of the world in which we live," he says.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – The TV show, which aired from 1983 to 2009, often drew celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg. Here, Goldberg and Burton promote "Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman as well as the actress' own book "Alice."

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood when the "Reading Rainbow's" Burton and Fred Rogers met. Rogers hosted the public television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" from 1966 to 2001.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – Kwame, the character Burton voiced on the '90s children's cartoon "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," could often be found with his nose in a book.

LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – Burton reads to elementary school students in Land O' Lakes, Florida, in 2005.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – "There is no system that can imprison you or dominate you with darkness or ignorance if you have the capacity to read in at least one language," Burton said. "It's a very serious idea to me, freedom through literacy." The actor appears here at the TV Land Awards in 2007.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – Burton first appeared as himself on the TV show "Community" in 2010. The character Troy, played by Donald Glover, was such a fan that he couldn't speak while in Burton's presence -- and cried when the actor sang the "Reading Rainbow" theme song.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – "In a children's book, you combine the visual and the written word. It is made whole by the storyteller," Burton told CNN. "You bring the human element into it, and it makes that two-dimensional object a three-dimensional object of magic." Here, Burton reads during a "Let's Read. Let's Move" summer reading event in Washington in 2012.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – When a new film version of "The Great Gatsby" arrived in 2013, "The Colbert Report" featured a comedy sketch in which neither host Stephen Colbert nor actress Carey Mulligan, who played Daisy in the film, had read the F. Scott Fitzgerald book. The solution? Burton gave them the "Reading Rainbow" version.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – Burton reads to children during the "Reading Rainbow's" 30th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles in June 2013.

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LeVar Burton's 'Reading Rainbow' – "What I've learned from 'Reading Rainbow' is that everybody's got a story," Burton said. "People are infinitely interesting. We are entertainment, information, insight and inspiration." Here, Burton speaks from the children's stage at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April.

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Photos: ALA Youth Media Awards 33 photos

Photos: ALA Youth Media Awards33 photos

2014 Newbery Medal – Looking for great reads for young people? "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures," written by Kate DiCamillo, is the 2014 Newbery Medal winner. Click through the gallery to see the rest of the American Library Association's Youth Media Award 2014 winners for children's and young adult literature.

Schneider Family Book Award – "A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin," written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, is the winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for children ages 0 to 10.

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Schneider Family Book Award – "Handbook for Dragon Slayers," written by Merrie Haskell, is the winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for middle school readers ages 11-13.

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Schneider Family Book Award – "Rose under Fire," written by Elizabeth Wein, is the winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for teens.

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Alex Award – "Brewster," written by Mark Slouka, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "The Death of Bees," written by Lisa O'Donnell, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Golden Boy: A Novel," written by Abigail Tarttelin, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Help for the Haunted," written by John Searles, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Lexicon: A Novel," written by Max Barry, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Lives of Tao," written by Wesley Chu, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Mother, Mother: A Novel," written by Koren Zailckas, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "Relish: My Life in the Kitchen," written by Lucy Knisley, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "The Sea of Tranquility: A Novel," written by Katja Millay, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

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Alex Award – "The Universe Versus Alex Woods," written by Gavin Extence, is one of 10 books to win the Alex Award for best adult book that appeals to teen audiences.

William C. Morris Award – "Charm & Strange," written by Stephanie Kuehn, is the 2014 William C. Morris Award winner.

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YALSA award for nonfiction for young adults – "The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi," written by Neal Bascomb, is the 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults winner.

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Photos: Politicians reading children's books 12 photos

Photos: Politicians reading children's books12 photos

Politicians reading children's books – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reads Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" on the Senate floor on Tuesday, September 24, during his 21-plus-hour speech given in an attempt to defund Obamacare. Click through to see other politicians who have read children's books.

Politicians reading children's books – President Bill Clinton reads "The Night Before Christmas" to local elementary school children in December 1999 at the White House.

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Politicians reading children's books – President George W. Bush participates in a reading of "The Pet Goat" the morning of September 11, 2001, at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida.

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Politicians reading children's books – Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, reads a story about the Itsy Bitsy Spider while visiting the Stockton Child Parent Center in Chicago in March 2002.

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Politicians reading children's books – Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, reads "My Fire Engine" to a group of children from YDI Pedro Baca Head Start Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in September 2003.

Politicians reading children's books – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reads to children during NBC's "Today Show" kickoff of Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign in Rockefeller Plaza in September 2007.

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Politicians reading children's books – Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani reads a Christmas story to children at the Hale Learning Center in December 2007.

Politicians reading children's books – President Barack Obama reads "The Night Before Christmas" to second-graders at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, in December 2010.

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Politicians reading children's books – San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee reads a book about earthquakes to third-grade students at William L. Cobb Elementary School as they participate in the "Great California ShakeOut" earthquake drill in October 2011.

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Here's the list of winners:

Book of the Year, kindergarten through second grade

Winner: "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Finalists:

"Alphabet Trucks" by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke

"Chamelia and the New Kid in Class" by Ethan Long

"Mustache Baby" by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Joy Ang

"Bear and Bee" by Sergio Ruzzier

Book of the Year, third through fourth grade

Winner: "Bugs in My Hair!" by David Shannon

Finalists:

"Bean Dog and Nugget: The Ball" by Charise Mericle Harper

"Cougar: A Cat With Many Names" by Stephen Person

"The Matchbox Diary" by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline